European funded projects team up in response to the worst floods Bosnia-Herzegovina and Serbia have faced in 100 years

Photo credit: EC/ECHO/EEAS/EU Delegation BiH

Brussels, Belgium - May 19, 2014 - ICARUS and TIRAMISU, two Research and Development projects funded by the European Commission's DG Enterprise and Industry, have joined forces to participate in relief efforts in Serbia and Bosnia-Herzegovina in the aftermath of the most severe natural disaster the region has faced in the last century.

The Belgian First Aid and Support Team (B-FAST), an ICARUS partner, has been dispatched to Orasje, one of the cities most affected by the floods, through the EU Civil Protection Mechanism, to deploy pumps and water purification units that will enable the population to regain access to drinking water.

The Royal Military Academy of Belgium, the coordinator of the TIRAMISU and ICARUS projects, has sent an expert roboticist along with an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) to assist B-FAST and the Bosnian Mine Action Centre for aerial mapping, inspection, damage assessment and localising Explosive Remnants of War (ERW) that could have been displaced due to the landslides that occurred as a result of torrential rains and floods.

The flooded terrain and the presence of ERW is indeed creating an extremely dangerous situation for the local population and the combined action of the two projects will hopefully help to prevent human casualties.

For more information contact:Geert de Cubber, Royal Military Academy, geert.de.cubber@rma.ac.be